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November 16, 2006

Germany is a great place to visit. Its a nice country to live in too. But if you are a colored person or speak any Semitic language and planning to live in certain parts of Germany for a longer period then you should know some facts and beware of certain things.

A latest survey shows that one in every five Germans hates foreigners and one in every ten person in anti-Semitic. A shocking news also reveals that "Far-right views are not just the domain of skinheads and neo-Nazis but are firmly anchored throughout German society, regardless of social class or age" - Der Spiegel.

A few months ago an German-African was called a nigger and attacked in Potsdam. He narrowly escaped death. A couple of days ago after the 68th anniversary ceremony commemorating Nazi pogrom a Jewish synagogue was desecrated by right-wing youths in Frankfurt on Oder. The German President warned that Anti-Semitism is still alive in Germany.

The trend is not ubiquitous in Germany. It is witnessed largely in the former East German states, where the number of unemployment is high and jobs are shrinking and the fear of foreigners are high. A total of 36.9 percent of respondents agreed with the statement: "Foreigners only come here to exploit our welfare state."

The far-right (called Neo-Nazis) NPD party is now represented in two regional assemblies in eastern Germany. The NPD, which calls for the repatriation of foreigners and opposes immigration, has welcomed the survey saying:

"The motto ... has been confirmed in a refreshing way by the current survey results. Germany, we're coming!"

Former East German dissident and poet-songwriter Wolf Biermann has received the Bundesverdientskreuz, the German order of merit on his 70th birthday. In his recent speech "Germany betrays Israel" he dissects the psychology of his fellow countrymen:

"...the children of the Nazi generation are outright refusing to get down from the rocking horse of self-inflicted immaturity. This not-getting-involved, this sly shyness, this clueless inactivity in world conflicts is, in its practical ramifications, a deed in itself, better said, a non-deed with serious consequences."

"The simpler-minded average German sides with the Arabs (in the Middle East conflict). There is much under-the-breath muttering, growling and whining of that old chorus: the Jews are to blame for everything!

In the German mind, the Arabs are maniacs, immature third-class citizens, quite beyond the reaches of humane Enlightenment. This German sympathy is a form of patronizing contempt. The gushing respect for foreigners is nothing but self-satisfied arrogance."

"Faced with poor job prospects, high taxes and an intrusive bureaucracy, more and more Germans are choosing to emigrate. Most of those who leave, though, are highly qualified -- which could mean devastating economic consequences.

They are tired of living in country where landing a job is like playing the lottery, a country where not even half of citizens live from gainful employment and a country in which even academics in their mid-40s are already considered problem cases when it comes to job placement. In other words, they are fed up with living in a country where all opportunities already seem to be taken."

And there are also more shocks:

"Many companies already lack specialized workers today, and 16 percent of German companies are unable to fill all their positions because of a lack of qualified candidates. There are about 7,000 unfilled engineering jobs in the machine building industry alone."

This is because of Germany's extra rigid immigration policy not encouraging skilled and talented persons to come and work here and solve the problem. Because of their asylum policy, all they get is more and more unskilled labor and welfare burden from the conflict regions making the equation complicated.